New network aims to help bridge multi-billion-dollar financing gap in rural areas

Rome, 27 January 2017 – The establishment of a new network to help bridge the estimated US$150 billion financing gap that prevents small rural producers and businesses in developing countries from growing their operations and strengthening rural economies, was announced today.

The announcement, made by Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Enrico Morando, Italy’s Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance, came at the end of a three-day international conference in Rome focused on finding new ways to finance rural development.

Micro-Gardens allow low-income families to meet their needs, source of extra income- FAO

Participants

Micro-gardens are highly productive and can be easily managed by anyone – women, men, children, the elderly and the disable thus improve extra income for families says Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Banjul office, Madam Perpetua Katepa- Kalala.

FAO boss was speaking on Tuesday, 27^th September, 2016 at a day-long Micro-garden seminar, exposition and demonstration held at the Kairaba Beach Hotel. The meeting gathered farmer organisations, schools, horticulturists, extension workers, and the media among others.

According to Madam Kalala, Micro-gardens allow low-income families to meet their needs for vitamins, minerals, and plant protein by providing direct access to fresh, nutritious vegetables every day.  

She adds: ‘they also offer a source of extra income from the sale of small surpluses.’

President of Ghana and King of Tonga call for greater investment to transform rural areas

IFAD President Kanayo F. Nwanze

Rome, 16 February 2015 – Development leaders and heads of state and government representatives gathered for the opening of the 38th Session of the Governing Council of the International Fund for AgriculturalDevelopment (IFAD) to call for additional investments towards the transformation of rural areas, which are key to the world’s food supply.

In his opening statement John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana, said that his vision for the country is “to transform the rural areas of Ghana in order to create a more diversified, better integrated, and modern rural economy. One that closes the gap between urban and rural areas in terms of access to services, opportunities, living standards, and prosperity.”

In Ghana, progress has been made, Mahama said, but only because benefits of development programmes “are tilted more to my farmers than to the bureaucrats.”

Mahama warned the international community that “neglect of the rural space can have dire consequences” and that “a strong connection between the rural and urban space cannot be taken for granted.”

HRH Tupou VI, the King of Tonga, conveyed his support to this year’s Governing Council theme, ‘Rural Transformation: Key to sustainable development’, and said that to make this transformation a reality there needs to be an increased focus on building the risk management and resilience capacity of rural people to manage a changing environment. Specifically, he called for increased access by rural communities to climate finance.